by Tony Niklinski
Daily Lobo
The UNM men's basketball team had its way against Team Ezybonds Saturday night, with a 107-75 win at The Pit.
The Lobos controlled the tempo of the game and established a comfortable lead early, as they hit eight of their first 10 3-point attempts. UNM led by as many as 25 in the first half.
"We did a nice job of coming out early and capturing the game by being tough defensively and knocking down the open shots," head coach Ritchie McKay said.
Senior guard Javin Tindall scored the first three points of the game, knocking down a wide-open 3-pointer.
Tindall was on fire throughout the game, leading all scorers with 26 points. The senior shot 10-13 from the floor, and hit five of seven from behind the 3-point arc. Tindall also managed to dish out four assists to go with four rebounds.
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"Our lead established a presence," McKay said. "We are a hard team to come back on because we spread the ball out. You can't just stop one player."
Four players scored in double figures for the Lobos. As a whole, UNM shot 54.5 percent from the floor, including 12 of 26 from beyond the 3-point line.
Even though Team Ezybonds, a team consisting of professional basketball players from Australia, had a significant height advantage, UNM dominated the paint. Junior Alfred Neale and sophomore David Chiotti each put up solid numbers.
Neale scored 16 points on six of nine shooting. The 6-foot-5 transfer connected on three 3-point attempts. Neale also managed to pull down seven boards and two steals.
"We played like we practice - hard," Neale said.
Chiotti was six for 10 in the paint, scoring 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds.
As a team the Lobos out rebounded the Australian team 49 to 30.
"We did a great job on the boards," McKay said.
Halfway through the first half, Neale and Chiotti each scored on break-away slam dunks on consecutive plays off.
Sophomore Jeff Hart scored 10 points on three of five shooting. Hart shot 50 percent from downtown, connecting on two 3-pointers.
Although Saturday was a big win for the Lobos, they racked up 18 turnovers in the game. However, Team Ezybonds scored only five points off the turnovers.
"We need to do a better job of not turning the ball over," Neale said.
Not only did every Lobo player see action Saturday, each player got on the scoreboard.
"I'm happy for my guys," McKay said. "They worked hard to get everyone to play. This is only a snapshot of what we are capable of doing offensively."
Next week the Lobos play another exhibition game against the EA Sports All-Stars. Game time is set for Sunday at 7 p.m. at The Pit.
